which office is more prestigious?

[WalterMitty]

governor?  or senator?

conventional wisdom says that being a us senator is a step up from being a governor.

wouldnt it be more prestigious to be 1 of 50 rather than 1 of 100? 

[Bono]

governor?  or senator?

conventional wisdom says that being a us senator is a step up from being a governor.

wouldnt it be more prestigious to be 1 of 50 rather than 1 of 100? 

governor you have the executive power, and are commander in chief of all the military forces stationed in your state when they are not in service of the union. Guess that settles it.

[Jake]

Governor

[A18]

Definitely governor.

[Nym90]

A governor is more important to the residents of his/her state, but a senator is more important overall to the people of the country as a whole. So it's a toss-up.

[John Dibble]

Govenors have a better chance than Senators when they run for president.

[opebo]

Personally I find governors completely uninteresting, while Senators are fascinating, particularly in their role of holding back the barbarian hoards, as we're hoping the Senate Dems do now.  But for the person's career I guess governoris better.

[Gabu]

I would say governor.  You're not really in charge of anything when you're a senator and are just one part of a giant organization called the Senate.  When you're a governor, on the other hand, you're basically one guy at the top and are a smaller version of the president.

[Ebowed]

Govenors have a better chance than Senators when they run for president.

I think it's pretty even.  Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, and Richard Nixon would have gotten nowhere had it not been for their Senate seats.  These days governors have a slightly better chance.

[Jake]

Govenors have a better chance than Senators when they run for president.

I think it's pretty even.  Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, and Richard Nixon would have gotten nowhere had it not been for their Senate seats.  These days governors have a slightly better chance.

Because the effects of Watergate and the mistrust of Washington "Insiders" is still there.  As the pre-baby boomers die, that mistrust should go away.

[muon2]

I think it's difficult to say, and probably depends on the state. There have been governors who run for senate and vice versa. I suppose if we had a list of all who have made the switch in the last 30 years we might have a sense of relative prestige.

As has been pointed out governors have an executive role that is inherently more powerful than any legislative position. However, the fame of most governors is usually confined to their state, and it is hard to have direct national influence as a state executive. Senators have the advantage of national attention and the ability to directly affect national policy, which then has ramifications at the state level.

[Erc]

It depends...in states with term limits, the Senate seat is worth more (e.g. Virginia), while in states that don't have term limits, the Governorship may be worth more (especially if the state is large...being a Senator from Wyoming probably gets you more power than being a Governor, term limits or no).

[Erc]

Senators to Governors:

Frank Murkowski (AK)

Senator: 1981-2002
Governor: 2002-

Dirk Kempthorne (ID):

Senator: 1993-1998
Governor: 1998-

Governor -> Senator:

Tom Carper (DE)

Governor: 1993-2001
Senator: 2001-

Evan Bayh (IN):
Governor: 1989-1997
Senator: 1999-

Kit Bond (MO):
Governor: 1973-1977, 1981-1985
Senator: 1987-

Ben Nelson (NE):
Governor: 1991-1999
Senator: 2001-

Judd Gregg (NH):
Governor: 1989-1993
Senator: 1993-

George Voinovich (OH):
Governor: 1991-1999
Senator: 1999-

Lamar Alexander (TN):
Governor: 1979-1987
Senator: 2003-

George Allen (VA):
Governor: 1994-1998
Senator: 2001-

Jay Rockefeller (WV):
Governor: 1977-1985
Senator: 1985-


Seems like a lot more people take the Governor -> Senator route...

[12th Doctor]

Depends on the state.  If you are from a state like Florida, Texas, New York or California, I wwould rather be a governor.  Anything less (including PA) and I would rather be a Senator.

[dazzleman]

The Senate carries a certain prestige, but I'd rather be a governor.  A governor does a lot more.  Most Senators are a bunch of useless windbags, and because they are only one of one hundred, they don't have to accept responsibility for anything.

I guess it depends on the state, in a way.  Not all governorships carry the same level of prestige, but all Senators potentially have the same level of prestige, regardless of the state they represent.

[True Democrat]

Senator, state politics suck.